


Common law invasion

by Alphalover



Category: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 16:37:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10812810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alphalover/pseuds/Alphalover
Summary: Clark runs up against stupid New Kryptonian laws





	Common law invasion

"Kal-El. You cannot go to Smallville. If you leave now, you are not one of us. Nor will take your place at my side!" Zara’s voice was angry and frantic.

"I only care about the -”

"No," Zara interrupted loudly. “You must not act rashly. You are one against many. How can your presence help?"

"I can protect people."

"There are more of them then you, with your abilities," Lois reminded him. "You couldn't save everyone."

"So I have to abandon my family and friends to slavery - a situation for which I take full blame - Nor came to Earth because I agreed to help Zara and Ching in their civil war.”

"Regarding ownership of Earth - you have the prior claim."

"What?" Lois was incredulous.

"When Nor invaded and the council did not oppose him, this became a de-facto colonization." Ching was patient, holding back his own frustration with his ridiculous societal laws.

"You mean invasion. Don't pretend it's anything else,” Lois hissed at him. She felt betrayed by him. He seemed to be willing to help.

"We now claim Earth as part of the Kryptonian dominion - answerable to our laws.” It was Zara who spoke, her manner awkward.

"Unclaim it."

"It is already done. It was not my choice nor do I like it," Zara said, "But I was not yet sworn in as leader. The council of elders has the power until Kal-El and I ... "

"Have sex," Lois said caustically. "So if you and Kal-El get busy, he gets to be king, and can order Nor out."

"It's too late for that," Clark said to Lois. "They know we didn’t... go through with our – well, it was apparently against the law not to -”

“We could have waited Kal-El - but because hey overheard us expressing intent not to ever be together, you would have to convince them you mean to join us. We would be under constant scrutiny until we followed our vows.” 

 

“But they heard me tell Lois I’d never leave her again.”

 

"Actually, that means nothing. She is a concubine. You own her now, so your words could have simply meant you intend to take her with us.”

"Don't make me hit you," Ching. "You never told me I'd become actual 'property'.”

"It is implied -"

"Not if you didn’t make that clear... and you didn’t.” This time Clark found his voice through all the outrage.

"Lois spoke the words -"

"What? How is that possible. She doesn't speak Kryptonian."

"Uh....Clark. I did repeat some foreign words. I figured it was just ceremonial... like when latin is used in church services.”

"Lois, you and Clark want to be together. What does it matter what you call yourself. Even if you are his, he would pledge to be only yours – with the exception of his duty to father an heir," Ching was now trying to be persuasive. The fact that it Zara and Kal-El would be together upset him, but he knew he had no choices.

"So I’d literal be a ball and chain to her? Can I ... reject ownership of … of her?"

"No. If you do, others can claim her.”

“She isn’t a thing to be claimed! She is free and -”

"Please Clark. Don't say anything more that can be misconstrued as some kind of legal assertion that will bite us ...” Lois interrupted him anxiously. 

He stopped.

"And look, he still does exactly what you tell him," Ching continued.

"I’ve got one nerve left, Ching. Don't stand on it... I’m warning you."

"Lois, you cannot make threats against him in your new position," Zara warned her.

"My god. How did this happen? We just wanted to see each other -" Clark was despairing.

"You blatantly flouted our laws. " Trey hissed, finally joining the group.

"Antiquated laws," said Clark angrily. "That objectify women and condone slavery."

"Kal-El, we have agreed to accept Ching as your heir. We grant you permanent residency on Earth. You have the prior claim. Nor is forced to evacuate. We will coach you in your new duties"

"New duties?”

"You own a planet, *Kal-El* said Lois annoyed. "Now they need to show you how to do the job as 'colonial overlord'"

"Can't I just say that I liberate the Earth?"

“And then others can claim it. You aren’t first lord Kal-El anymore. Liberating earth from your ownership simply returns it back to us -”

“Please stop,” he begged. “I can’t take this anymore.”

"It really is only just words," Zara said soothingly. "I do not expect anything at all from Earth, including colonization space. This is a formality to encourage ill intentioned members of our society to leave Earth alone."

He shook his head. 

“I was raised better than this,” he said, his parents were in the room watching and listening intently. “Pretending to be a conquerer will only make it easy to slip into that role. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. “

Jimmy entered the room urgently.

“Hey – Kal-EL, do you know what’s going on -” He trailed off at the sight of Lois dressed as a slave. “Hey! What the hell is going on?”

Angrily he moved to her, shielding her from other gazes. Lois looked at him with amazement and love. A look that Clark saw and deepened his own shame. Of course she felt vulnerable like that, and of course she needed protecting.

“It isn't what you think,” she told him gently. “I came here willingly.”

“Looking for Clark? Where is he and what’s the deal with invading Smallville?”

“You are interrupting – you will be silent,” Trey said angrily.

“You and what army are going to shut me up,” Jimmy countered. The guards advanced on him and he stiffened, but refused to back down.

“Leave him alone, “ Kal-El demanded. “Jimmy has every right to demand answers and protect his friends – his actions show more honor than anything I’ve seen from any Kryptonian here.”

“Earth emotionalism,” 

“Kryptonian high-handed bigotry.”

“Kal-El, you cannot take sides against your people.”

“You aren’t listening. Earth people are my people. And I am a de-facto Earth person. It’s mutual. We all belong to each other by right of friendship. I have had a great life on Earth and my relationship with humanity has always been benevolent. I may have been feared when I first arrived but mostly that’s abated. If people fear me, I understand it, I don’t expect them to get over it – but I don’t act in ways to encourage it either. If I call myself their owner, take away their hope. En masse. Hopelessness is a horrible feeling. Lois and I are friends, but now you claim I own her. And even if Lois and I continue the non-combative relationship and are equal partners – the word ‘slave’ changes everything. It makes her feel like less, just like that outfit is designed to do. And yeah, you didn’t force her up here, but you did imply to Lois that she would be safe. You weren’t overt in telling her that the words she said were words of fealty oaths.”

“Kal-El. I’d prefer the label Concubine to allowing Nor to take over the Earth,” she told him. “Greater good... It’s just words. Our relationship with you wouldn’t change.”

“Wouldn’t it? What happens in the future? Imagine I agree to this. I agree To fake it out – remain as ruler of the Earth? I could act exactly the same way I always do, but if people knew i’d agreed that this was my world, possessive pronoun intended, they would be afraid. It would change everything. I would become what I was pretending to be in order to keep the world safe. For its alleged own good. Words have power. You of all people know that.”

“But Kal-El, it is the only way. You cannot be selfish. You must comply. This world has societies like the one we are proposing. And men have power over the women. Many of your earth cultures – women must be silent in the presence of men.”

“Not here in … not in this country. You see these two,” he indicated his parents. “Equal partners. Always. They each have their strengths which they combine to make something enduring and wonderful. An equal partnership. Jonathan is bigger and stronger than Martha - but he does not use that advantage to get what he wants. If Martha won’t comply with something, he doesn’t force her. He has to persuade. And if that fails, he has to accept that he lost.”

“Kal-El. I’d like to say something,” Jon Kent spoke up. 

He eyed his father nervously.

“Please... if you try to convince me this makes sense...”

“I agree with you. Completely.”

Clark was shocked. He was expecting Jon to twist his mind around the idea so that it made sense. Protect Earth against Nor ahead of everything. Worry about the rest later. But that didn’t happen. His father agreed with him and that gave him strength.

“If you claim ownership of our planet, people on earth will lose faith in you, and that faith in you has transformed so many of us. By being as powerful as you are, and always playing by rules of justice and compassion - and abiding by our laws, you gave us hope that someone with your kind of power can still be decent. That’s a shining example to reach towards. If you then are named ruler of earth, even if you never do anything different, that hope will be crushed. We will never raise ourselves above pettiness and violence if we don’t believe it can be done. “

“But then people will die,” he urged. “If I … do as i’m being asked – then Nor has to leave this moment. Buying time for us.” He hated arguing this case, but he needed his father’s permission to let the invasion continue.

“Nor’s invasion is not your fault. If he stays on earth until you figure out how to get rid of him, that too is not your fault, Kal-El. You guys – yeah. It’s your fault,” He indicated Trey and Zara. Zara nodded.

Clark regarded his father gratefully.

“Thank you. I needed you to tell me that. To give me permission not to go along with this plan.”

Jimmy saw the bond between Kal-El and Jon and with a shock realized that Kal-El and Clark Kent were one and the same.

“Clark? You should have told me,” he spat angrily. “I’ve spent so much time looking for you. I thought you were dead.”

“I – I didn’t know. I’m sorry. And grateful.”

“Perry and Bill Henderson seemed sure you were safe, which likely means they know. In fact, I think Perry’s known for a while...”

“I am sorry... I didn’t mean to make you think our friendship is trivial because it isn’t. What we all went through with Lex Luthor – well, you became like a brother to me. You knew I was really miserable and you helped me get through those dark times.”

As he spoke, he realized the truth in his father’s words. “Which is why I can't agree to this plan. I’m going to Smallville. As a man of Earth.”


End file.
